Of Comets and Space
by Julie S
Summary: When it gets hot in London, the TARDIS beckons.


The Doctor ran his hand gently up Rose's hip, and she pushed it off. "Doctor, please."

He sighed. "My poor Rose." He pulled her hair off her neck and bunched it above her head on the pillow. "So helpless against the heat. Humans." He blew gently on her now-exposed skin.

She moaned softly. "Oh, you can do that. Be good for you to make up for landing during a heatwave."

That wasn't fair. He'd been aiming for October anyway. "Well, 's not my fault, I can't keep track of the meteorology of every planet."

"I know, that's why I'm just trying to sleep. And you can keep blowing."

He opened his mouth, then decided it was better not to comment on her choice of words. "You don't want to just take a shower with me? Wash off all that sweat, take off all those clothes..." Not that she was wearing much, but her knickers and tank top covered exactly everything he wanted uncovered.

"I'd love to, but we're gonna wake up mum."

He frowned. "Right." He blew again, then said, "You know, the TARDIS is air-conditioned. Well, strictly speaking, not air-conditioned exactly, since it doesn't get hot in the first place, but you get the idea. No humidity, no heat. A nice cold shower..."

She whimpered. "I can't. I promised mum we'd sleep here tonight. You're just frustrating me here."

He frowned. "That *we'd* sleep here?"

"Well, that I'd sleep here. But I said I was only staying if you could, too. And you're supposed to be on the floor."

"Well, thanks for taking me down with you, then."

She turned around to lie on her other side and face him. Examining him, she proclaimed, "You're not even sweating right now!"

He grinned. "I could be sweating right now."

She rolled her eyes and the corners of her lips twitched. "Blimey, Captain Jack seriously left his imprint on you, hasn't he? You're just trying to kill me now, that's all."

"He did not, and I'm trying to get into my girl's knickers, actually." He leaned in and kissed her quickly before she could flinch away.

She smiled and stuck out her tongue. "Even when your girl is all hot and sweaty?"

He grinned and wagged his eyebrows. "Especially then."

"But you were just suggesting we take a shower."

"Trying to get into your knickers, Rose." He gave her a meaningful look. "And if we go back to the TARDIS, we'll achieve both."

She rolled onto her back. "I feel like I'm selling my soul to the devil. What time is it?"

He kissed her again and then glanced at the clock behind her. "Two."

"Okay." She stood up and reached for a skirt from a stack of clothing on a chair.

"Good girl!" He called and smiled broadly, getting up and reaching for his trousers.

"Shut up," she said, smiling. "Okay, we have to be back before mum knows we're gone. Can we use your time machine abilities and be back in five minutes?"

"Certainly can, though I don't know what we're going to do here until dawn afterwards..."

"We'll worry about that later - come on!" she urged, already out of her room. "Just make sure it's five minutes and not five years you take us forward."

"Oi!" He replied indignantly. "That was below the belt. Don't insult a man's TARDIS."

"It's not the TARDIS, it's the driver," she said cheekily as they went through the door. "And don't even try to pretend you haven't done it before!"

She avoided his arm when he reached for her and ran down the stairs instead. When they were out in the night air she paused and took a deep breath, relieved. "You know, it's not even that bad, there's a breeze here! It's only deathly hot inside."

"I can drive my TARDIS. Let's see you do it."

She laughed. "Are you gonna sulk about it?"

He headed for the ship. "Are you going to apologise?"

"No way! That is a legitimate concern!"

"Well, then you can stay out of the TARDIS and go sleep in your flat," he said, unlocking the door and standing in the doorway to face Rose. "If you don't trust me to bring us back on time."

She pushed past him. "You're such a baby."

"I'm a baby?" His expression and tone of voice changed as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss she clearly hadn't expected. "Do babies do this?" His hand slipped under her tank top.

"In a hurry, are we?" she mumbled, also sensing the change in the mood and going in for another kiss. He guided her backwards. Her top was off in seconds.

"Yeah, you can say that," he said, moving to kiss her neck.

Rather than going into the TARDIS interior, as she'd expected, she suddenly felt a wall against her back. She squealed when his knee was suddenly between her legs and she found herself propped up at least a foot in the air. "Not going to make it to the bedroom?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes even as he nibbled on her collarbone. Humans. He withdrew his leg and caught her around the waist when she touched the floor again. "If you insist."

She recalled her words when he took her by the hand and led her inside the corridor. "Well, that was just a, a suggestion," she clarified. She remembered someone else she'd once said those words to.

It only took another kiss from him, though, once they were at the door to his bedroom, to take her mind off that and firmly back to the task at hand.

* * *

"Mum, I swear, it wasn't on purpose!" Rose pleases, briskly following her mother back into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Jackie answered angrily. "Just like it wasn't your fault when you went and left for a year?" She shot the Doctor a dangerous look over Rose's shoulder.

Rose shook her gead. Just as her mother was beginning to like the Doctor...

"Well, could've been worse - was only a few days this time..."

"Plenty of time to get yourselves killed!"

"Mum!"

"How d'you think I felt when you went to bed as usual and then disappeared for five days?"

"Well, we just... the Doctor wanted to show me something... and we were going to come back a minute later, honest. It's just, next thing we knew, it was Thursday. Bloody TARDIS."

"Oi!" The Doctor, who'd wisely allowed Rose to handle things until now, interjected indignantly. "Nothing wrong with my TARDIS! Quite a magnificent piece of work, she is."

"Yeah? Just the driver, then, and don't make me land another good one on you," she said threatningly, holding up her palm for illustration.

"Well, we don't want to get to that. You really hurt me last time! Might cause a regeneration or two when you're really angry. Did you know that on Estrella 531 a slap is considered a form of greeting between close friends? Course, you usually get slapped back... only polite..."

"Oh, shut up," she said, exasperated. Then, less angrily, she added, "So what were you doing, anyway?"

A look of alarm crossed Rose's face. "Um," she started and looked at the Doctor.

"Erm, it was a comet I wanted to show Rose," he said, coming to her aid.

"Yes!" she agreed. "A really big comet. Really bright."

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Right. Name of the comet, then?"

"Nope, undiscovered yet," he answered. "Should name it after myself. What do you think? The Doctor, shooting white and bright through space." He grinned.

"Doctor," she said through her teeth, blushing.

Jackie shook her head. "Right. Now you two have to stay for tea."

This time, it was the Doctor who looked alarmed. "Tea? Really?"

Rose gently shoved her elbow into his side. He grinned again. "That would be great."

"Yeah," Rose smiled awkwardly. "We're just going to have a word." She led the Doctor to the living room, landing on the sofa. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She laughed, suddenly. "Wonder what she would have done to you if I told the truth."

"You wouldn't," he said, horrified.

"I wouldn't," she agreed with a wink. "I quite like this body. So, when do I get to see more of that... comet?"

"After tea? We could invite your mother, I bet she's never seen one. At least that close."

She poked him in the ribs, harder this time. "After tea, just us." She stood up and grinned at him, tongue stuck between her teeth teasingly, as she walked away and into the kitchen.

Her mother looked up from the counter as she entered. "So, was his comet as good in bed as he made it sound, at least?"

Rose froze in her tracks and felt her cheeks heating. "Mum!"

"Well, how stupid d'you think I am?"

-end-


End file.
